The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-10-05
A VERMlN EXTERMINATOR.
A TALK WITH A MAN WHO HAS A
NOVEL OCCUPATION.
Making n Business of Kidding Peo.
pies Houses of Rats and Ven min
How He Works.

pies Houses of Rats and Vci min
How He Works.
The cockroach killer is one of the GU
riosities of Chicago. Not on account of
his personal appearance, but OF the nov
city of his vocation. There are four or
five persons who live by the death of
cockroaches, rats and mice, but the
best known is an old German, nearly 60
years of age, who has an Office on Wash
ington street. A reporter of the Inter
Ocean found the old gentleman the other
day in his place surrounded by the deadly
compounds he needs in his business.
EAT all you want, it's rat poison" cor
daily said the old man, as the reporter
picked up a box of paste. "That stuff
in the red boxes is cockroach poison, and
the bug poison is in the yellow pack
ages"
''What is food for the reaches is poison
for the bugs, is itl"
eyes. Bug poison won't kill cock
reaches, cockroach poison won't kill bugs,
and both of 'em won't kill rats; rat paste
won't kill them, because they won't
eat it."
Chow do you kill cockroachesW
"We blow 'em up with powder-not
the kind of powder that kills men,
though. See that funnel on the end of
those bellowsl Well, we put the pow
der in that, and then blow it through the
nozzle into the cracks and crevices where
he lives. He doesn't live long after We
kill bugs the same way, using the other
powder
"Pays pretty well, doesn't it9"
ooh, fairly. Most of it is contract
work. We take contracts for cleaning
hotels, restaurants, stores, dwell ng
houses, public institutions, bakeries,
steamboats,, railroad sleeping cars or
coaches, etc, of bugs, reaches, water
bugs, moths or ants, forso much year"
Chow much9n
THAT depends on the size and charac-
ter of the place. To keep hotels clear is
worth from $40 to $1OOa year. We've
quit taking hotel contracts, because they
are unsatisfactory. The powder only.
kills the bugs or reaches that touch or
eat it. Sometimes they hide in their holes
where the powder won't reach them, but
when they get hungry and come out the
powder fixes them. The trouble with
hotel peoples that they won't obey in
structions, and close the rooms and not
sweep up the powder before twenty -four
hours have elapsed. They sweep it up
before we're out of the house fairly, and
then they howl because we didn't kill all
the bugs"
"You said the bug and roach powders
were not poisonous, didn't youl"
'Tll show you, he said, taking gen
erous pinch of each kind, placing it on
b, ~ GGItfc
poisonous to men, he continued, ''but
it's because we don't breathe like bugs.
They breathe like we perspire-through
the pores. They have no lungs. The
powder gets into the pores and closes
them up, so they just die for want of
breath. But good many people die for
the same reason, guess"
"How about restaurantsY"
They're good contracts, next to pri.
vate houses. I've cleaned number OF
restaurants for over ten years. They are
worth from $40 to $40; depends on the
size; same way with saloons. Don't
know why it is, but saloons and print
ing offices are the favoiite domain of the
cockroach. Maybe there's something in
the coincidence, but mind you 1 don't
say they're carried from one to the 9th
er. Perhaps they're fond of pretzels and
pi."
''Do you make contracts and guaran
tee to keep private residences free from
rats, reaches and bedbugs for year2"
''Why, bless you, that's the main part
of our business. We prefer private resi-
dences to any other class of buildings
I've been in the business fifteen years,
and I've worked up an excellent trade
have Phil Armour's house, Judge Tut
tie finest houses on tn,
NoNoses our lind West sides. The roacl
is no respecter of persons. He will in
wade the mansion of a prince with a
much assurance and contentment as h
will the lowest hovel in the Italia
patch.
What did you say you charged fc
private llo5iaisses 9'''----''
''Well, say an average of $40 year fC
bugs and reaches. Rats are $40 extra.
''How many trips do you make to
house in year"
Usually one; rarely more than TIVE
of course, go every time bug or roac
shows his nose"
''Suppose person doesn't wish to col
tract for whole year. What do yo
charge thenl"
"For each bedroom guaranteed for
year, 81. so; if simply powder the room
so cents"
(which insect or vermin is hardest {
exterminatep
1.-The moth. 1t gets into the lining
garments and is difficult to reach. III
powder willnot destroy the pupe, even
covered with powder, nor when it hatche
but the powder must be applied fresh
the larve.
"a new bug has made its appearan
in Chicago within the last two year
We call it the sewer bug, because
breeds in the sewers, and through the
gets into the houses. They are hard to XII
aud they destroy carpets, leather, al
clothing. They are a species of beetle, b
have no wings. This summer anoth
new bug has made its appearance in L
East. 1t has not reached Chicago "
The name of buffalo bug has been a
piled to it because it was discovered
Buffalo, New York, and literally aboun
there. It's working its way West, al
will probably be here next spring"
"YOu have a monopoly in your bu
ness, haven't your
mo; there are four or five othe
Then there's man who makes 81